jill.hewitt@naac.co.uk

(Updated 19/05/23) This is something I really don’t understand. It costs less than £50 to buy a helmet, it is a legal requirement at work and if you don’t wear an ATV helmet you are likely to suffer a serious head injury, or worse, if you come off your quad Read more…

Spiralling input costs are putting increasing pressure across the farming industry, but nowhere more so than agricultural contractors. In a sector that has no farm payment safety net, plus cut-throat local competition, the pressure is on to find the right balance to retain a loyal customer base, whilst keeping pace Read more…

It was a highlight of my career yesterday when I sat in a Defra meeting and received final confirmation that contractors would be included, for the first time, in the new Farming and Equipment Technology Fund grant process because they are an important part of modern farming businesses. Instead of Read more…

Confusion reigns over manure spreading this autumn and the NAAC has spoken to the Environment Agency (EA) to clarify the position for contractors. The Farming Rules for Water are moving applications to spring rather than autumn to try and reduce nitrates pollution. ‘Rule 1’ requires that the application of organic Read more…

As a member of the HSE’s Agricultural Industry Advisory Committee I have the somewhat dubious pleasure of receiving notification of all farm deaths. My heart sinks every time I see the email in my inbox. I most likely don’t know the victim, their family, or friends but it is still Read more…

You could be forgiven for wanting to write off 2020: a wet start, an arid summer and a sodden autumn, with contractors struggling to juggle workloads and balance customer demands. That is before we start on the personal and professional impact of Covid and the looming Brexit transition. However, whilst Read more…

The recent launch of the final round of Countryside Productivity Grants brought another shudder from agricultural contractors as, yet again, they were specifically excluded from applying. Agricultural contractors operate as ‘farmers without land’ and are land managers, advisors and protectors of the countryside, providers of skilled labour and suppliers of Read more…

As the industry moves rapidly towards a post-Brexit world, it will become increasingly important that contractors and farmers work in partnership. Teamwork will be necessary to ensure that duplication is avoided, and that efficient streamlining takes place as the single farm payment starts to taper. Farms will need to take Read more…

As we are heading into harvest, I make no apology for banging on about safety again. Within our own membership, I am aware of serious accidents in recent months and it is vital that we are all extra vigilant. The latest farm stats revealed that we still have the dubious Read more…